Chancellor’s Medal for Distinguished Scholarship (est. 2010)

This award is based on the scholarly work that the candidate has presented to the public, including work that exhibits excellence as evidenced by its import and impact nationally and internationally. The assessment of peers, both internal and external to the campus, will carry particular weight in the award process, as will extramural grant funding and publications in scholarly journals with high impact. In addition to being an excellent scholar, candidates should have demonstrated an ability to engage others in their work, e.g., graduate students.

Award recipients are invited to deliver the keynote address at the institution’s annual research retreat.

(2014) Allan Jacobson, PhD, Gerald L. Haidak, MD, and Zelda S. Haidak Professor in Cell Biology, Chair and Professor of Microbiology & Physiological Systems, for being a research pioneer on the molecular pathways of translation initiation and mRNA decay, among the first to establish mechanistic links between these two processes; for playing a central role in discovering the proteins that mediate nonsense-mediated mRNA decay and being at the forefront of efforts to elucidate the mechanism of this pathway.

(2013) Thomas Grisso, PhD, professor of psychiatry, for significant contributions to the field of forensic psychiatry and psychology and leadership in research, policy development and advocacy related to forensic mental health issues in juvenile justice.

(2010) Michael P.Czech, PhD, the Isadore and Fannie Foxman Chair in Medical Research and chair and professor of molecular medicine and professor of biochemistry & molecular pharmacology, for seminal work on insulin and IGF receptors, as well as the mechanisms of insulin action on glucose transport and adipocyte differentiation, which are fundamental to the field of type 2 diabetes and adipocyte biology.